Chapter 316

AURELIA’S POV The hall outside Derek’s office was silent—too silent. The kind that hums with the weight of something unspoken. I hadn’t meant to stop there. I was only passing by, or that’s what I told myself, but when I heard voices—his voice—and Kael’s sharp tone cutting through it, my feet refused to move. Their words slipped through the crack of the half-closed door, low but steady. “…if she finds out that you’re her mate…” Mate. The word froze in my veins, the rest of their conversation blurring into noise. I pressed my palm against the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs so hard I thought it might shatter them. Mate? No—no, I must have misheard. Then came Kael’s voice again, calm but furious: “…you’ll take away her right to choose.” That’s when I took a step back, stumbling against the wall. The conversation ended shortly after—a door creaked, heavy footsteps approached. I barely had time to compose myself before Kael appeared, his hand still on the doorknob. He stopped dead